Severe storm potential ends; very cold weekend ahead

Wednesday

Sep 14, 2016 at 12:01 AMSep 14, 2016 at 9:21 PM

UPDATE: The threat of severe weather in South Florida ended around mid-afternoon, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters said the rain should end between 5-6 p.m. About an inch of rain was recorded at PBIA through 2 p.m. More totals will be posted at 5 p.m. (Credit: NWS-Miami)

Here’s a forecast that’s a pretty good bet:

There’s close to a zero percent chance you’ll be relaxing by your pool on Sunday morning, sipping coffee and reading the papers. The windchill in Palm Beach is expected to be be around 34 degrees.

The forecast from the National Weather Service is for an actual Saturday night/ Sunday morning low of 42. Wind gusts Saturday may be as high as 39 mph, easing off a bit on Sunday to around 23 mph.

AccuWeather is predicting a Sunday morning low of 41 in Palm Beach, with a forecast high on Sunday of 60. Weather Underground is also predicting a Sunday morning low of 41.

If it’s any consolation, and it probabaly isn’t, lows are expected to plunge into the 40s as far south as South Beach. Some lows in the 30s are possible in the northern part of Palm Beach County, forecaster Dan Gregoria said in today’s NWS analysis from Miami.

The cold front, which follows today’s stormy weather over the Florida peninsula — the third severe weather threat in a week — is tied to the winter storm expected to paralyze Washington, DC and the Mid-Atlantic with blizzard conditions and 2 feet of snow.

The storm, named Jonas by the Weather Channel, was advertised by weather forecasters throughout the week and appeared to be taking shape as expected.

South of the snowstorm, freezing rain was on tap with up to a half-inch of ice possible in Charlotte, N.C., according to Weather Underground.

While Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia are in the crosshairs for a major snow event, with up to 30 inches possible in some areas. New York is bracing for about a foot, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a blizzard warning for the city for Saturday and Saturday night.

On top of the snow, wind gusts of up to 55 mph are possible, with white-out conditions. The blizzard warning is also in effect for all of Long Island.

Check the Palm Beach International Airport website if you have travel plans. Many flights to Charlotte, N.C., Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia were already canceled on Friday, and the outlook probably won’t begin to improve until Sunday.